Road guide



' Sept. 8, 1925.

H. J. sLowEY ROAD GUIDE Filed Aug. l, 19.23

1'; Sheets-Sheet l sept 8, 1925. 1,553,1944 `H. J. sLowEY Filed Aug. 1; 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 8, 1925. 15535194I H. J. SLOWEY ROAD GUIDE Filed Aug. l, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

'1,553,194 PATENT o FFicE.

UNITED STATES HERBERT J. sLowEY, or RoRrAeRwIscoNsIN.

.ROAD GUIDEh Application 1ed August 1, 1.923., Serial No. 655,079.

To all whom; t may concern:

y Be it known that HERBERT J. 'SLownY, acitizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at' Portage, in the county of Columbia and State of Visconsin, has invented new and useful Improvements in Road Guides, -of which the following is a specification.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide, in a road guide, a' structure including and displaying road maps for the guidance of tourists by automobiles orother means of transportation in order to indicate continuously to the driver the direction, eX- tent of progress and landmarks in following a predetermined route.

Another purpose isto provide means by which the ldriver may, at any given time, determine the approximate location .of the vehicle when comparing the location of an indicator with respect to a road map, the former being timed to accord with the progress vof' the vehicle during its travel across the map.

Still another purpose is the pro-vision of means operatively connecting the movable indicator and a' speedometer, whereby the driver may be assured as to the location of the vehicle by merely observing the location of the indicator with respect to the map.

A furthery purpose is the provision. of means for manipulating the vroad map whereby various routes may be presented according to the choice of the tourist. In order to accomplish this result, the road map is movable in either direction by simply operating one knob which is so connected to.

the rolls on which the map is mounted as to operate the rolls in either direction.

A still further -purpose is the provision of a general map cairied by the apparatus presenting various routes of -a certain section of country, said general map being carried by a spring tensioned roller, whereby the map may be automatically rewound when not in use. Y

i ing the locationfof the general map and the rolleron which it is reeled.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through o-ne end of the road guide, more particularly sho-wingthc gearing Ioperative by a single knob for'reversing the movement of. the roadmap.

Figure .3 1s an end view of the road guide showin the cover or housing which `encloses t e gearing in .section to disclose thel gearing.

Figure 4 is a detail Vview'1n.elevat1on showing the gearingto' be operated for reversing the movement of the indicator.

Figure 5 1s 'a view in lelevation of the opposite end of the road guide showingthe general map extended and the housing in section to disclose the tensioningmeans -for the roller on which the general mapvwinds.

Figure Gis a View in elevation of a modied forni of road guide wherein the road map is in the form of a narrowstrip .p-ass- `ing from a reel at one endof-the frame to a reel at thel other end.

" .Figure 7 is a detail .view of thel springclips for holding .the sleeve of the indicato-r in different adjusted positions on a feeding screw.

Figure '8 is a detail sectional view illustrating the latching means for the direction changing drive of the indicator.

Referring to the drawings, .1 designates a frame which maybe of any suitable shape and proportions, Ypreferably rectangular. The frame comprises a bottom 2, a Vtop 3 and a back 4 which is inserted between the ends 5 andthe top and'bottom pieces 2 and 3.

means of screws 6. 'The lower portion of the front of the frame includes a pair ofvclosures or doors 7 Awhich are hingedly mounted on the forward edges of the end pieces` 2I of the frame.

Mounted in bearing slots' 8 of the end pieces 2 are rollers 9 and 10 about which a road map 1'1 winds. In fact, the road map .Theback is removably secured in place by'- has its opposite ends connected to the rollers y and adapted to wind from one roller to' the other. The face of the map -is provided with a plurality of routes disposed transversely, each route comprising a plurality of spaces 12 indicating the distance between -towns or cities and other localities. The road map also passes over the 'de rolls 13 A -andf14 whereby the face oft e inap may travel under a glass 15 which is conveniently j the front of the frame.

p have 'gears 16 4and `17.

supported .in an inclined position adjacent ,Corresponding ends of he rollers 9 and 10 stub shaft 18 is mounted'axially in a bearing of one end ot' the frame. lJournaled slidably upon the stub shaft 18 is a hub 'body 19, including gears 20 supported in proper position to again engage with the teeth of the gear.' Vhen the L' ported by the lug or pin 28. The rollers 9V and 10 have longitudinally dis osed slots 29 in which thel endportionsof t e road inapV and 21 and' a knob 22.` When the hub body\ lare secured.

is moved outwardly 'and axially on the shaft 18, the gear 21 meshes with t e gear y16 and when the hub body is move inwardly toward the end of the frame, the gear 21 meshes with the gear 17. In fact, the Agear ,21 ,mayY mesh with'irst one and then the other4 of the gears 16 and 17, it depending f entirely nponwhether the road map is woundupon the roller 9 or upon the roller A stud 23 is carried by one end of the frame and Lxmounted upon'the stud is a pair' of ratchet'dogs. 24 and` 25;' The dog 25 is disposed adjap/ent'the outer face of the dog 24, in fact, in a.position so that its nose may.- engage the -teeth of the gear 21 to prevent rotatlon ofthe gear in one direction but per-A -mit rotation of the vgear in the opposite direction. 24 is disposed so that The when'the hub y is :moved inwardly tol ward the' frame, the nose of the Ydog`24 will engage the teeth of the gear 20 to prevent rotation thereof in one direction'and allow rotation in the opposite direction.

Referring to rgures 2 and 3, lit will be noted lthat the hub body assumes a position outwardly upon the stub shaft and in this case the gear'21 meshes with the gear 16. By turning the knob 22 in the direction of the arrow b in Figure 3,revoluble movement.. will be imparted to the roller 9, causing the road map to wind upon said roller and unwind romthe rbller 10. When the knob 22 and the hub'body are moved toward the end kof the frame, the,gear 21 will meshswith the i the teeth of the ge'ark20. The knob 22\ is then reversed in itso rotation, causing the vfear 21 to-n move in the direction of the arrow E, 1m artmg movement tothe roller 10A in the direction of the arrow e .so as to wind the road map upon the roller lnand unreel the map from the roller 9.'v Whenthe ear 21 "moves in the direction of the'arrow b, theV r dog 24 merely' rides over the teeth of the gear-2O to permitmovement 'of the gear 20 l; and the'hub'body in the vlopposite direction.

The stub 23 (which supports the dogs 24 vand 25') also carries a" spring 26, the end portions of which-bear upon the dogs to hold them in contact with the lugs o-r pins 27. and

, .28, These lugs or pins act to limit the dogs l 1n their movementstoward the gear 20. In

other words, when the gear 20 is out of engagement withthe dog 24, said dog may be construction of the spring33 are such as to tension the gear 32 so as to cause the gear to operate the gear 31 and the roller 30 for the purpose of rewinding the general map. The gear 32 is mounted uponfa stub shaft 34 whichis carried by one end of the frame.

suitable housing 35 encloses the gears 31 and 32 to preclude dustand other foreign matten The other end of the general map is connected to` a. roller 36 which, when the general map is wound upo the roller 30, is supported upon the bottoiili of the frame with the doors 7 closed. `When it is desire to use3 the general map, the doors 7 are moved to open positions, then the roller V36, while supported in one hand, is rotated by the other hand until the proper .route or the proper portion of the general map is disclosed, then the pintles of the roller 36 are disposed to engage with the slots 37 formed on the innerfaces of the ends of the doors 7, thereby holding the general map in an exf tended position. A suitable housing 38 is mounted upon one end of lthe frame for enclosing the dogs 24 and 25 and the 16 and 17 and 2O and 21. ,l

Journaled in bearings of the ends of the frame is a feed screw 39 on which a sleeve 4() is mounted for movement from one end ofl the frame to theother. The sleeve 40 carries an indicator 41 which is vadapted to move transversely of the road map but longi.

gears l llO 43 which engage through the sleeve and also engage with the threads of the feed screw 39. Obviously, by rotating the feed screw in one direction orJ the other, the sleeve 40 will travel longitudinally of the frame and since -it carries the indicator 41, it will travel longitudinally of the route on the road map. It is possible to simply press the spring clips 42 and 43 together, disengagin certain of their ends from the -threaded fee screw 39, whereby th'sleeve may be moved or adjusted inl different positions with re-I spect to the screw.

A 'conventional form of speedometer 44 may be provided, there being an angular frame 45 carried by the side of the casingin a bearing of the frame 45. A plate 50 is journaled upon the stub shaft 49 of the gear 47. The sleeve 48 of the gear 47 has a transverse pin 51 which, -when the sleeve telescopically fits the extension 52 of the feed screw 39, engages a slot 53 in the end of the extension 52. This connection' is provided so that, when the gear 47 rotates, it will impart movement to the feed screwt39. The plate 50 is capable of oscillatory movements on the stub of the gear 47 and carries the gears 5,4v and 55. In Figure 4, the gear 54 is shown i-n mesh with a gear 56 which is movable with a shaft 57 which operatively connects with the speedometer mechanism (not shown) through the medium of the gears 58 and,59. The plate v50 has an extension 60 rovided with a handle 61 by whicli the p ate 50|may be oscillated upon the stub shaft 49. The handle 61 has a spring tensioned pin 62 which en- 30 gages with oneor the other of the depressions 63 or 64 for holdingv the plate 50 in different positions. When the plate 50 is moved to a position whereby the gear 54 may mesh with the gear 56, the speedometer operates the -feed screw 39 through the medium of the gears 56,54, 55 and 47, there-y by causing the sleeve 40 t0 travel toward the right. with the, indicator 41 movin toward theright over the road map. bviously, since they indicator is operatively con-r nected with the speedometer, the driver may very easily ascertain the location of the ve-v 4 hicle between any two predetermined points by observing the location of the indicator with respect to the road map.

AAfter the driver has reached the destination, the plate mayx be moved pivotally upon the stub shaft tonause the gear to meshiwith the gear 56 vwhich will, impart reverse revoluble movement to the feed screw 39l and cause the indicator to traverse the road map to the left. In this case, the

I driver ma at any time on the return trip ascertain t e location ofthe vehicle bymerely observing the position of the indicator` with respect to the route vof the A'road map.

After', the driver has reached the destinationand if itis desired to make the return -trip by way of another route, the road map. is

adjusted to present through. the glass this other route and in this case reverse movement of theI feed -screw is` unnecessary.

'Howeven Athe-,spring clips are pressed tol ether, causing their corresponding endsto lread and comprehended.

manually .adiacent the left hand end of the feed screw so that the indicator may traverse over the other route. f t In Figure 6, the road guide is practically the same as in the previous figuresI with the Y exceptionthat the ,roadmap is narrow and is secured to and wound upon reels 65, the hubs of which have slots 66 'in which the opposite ends of the road map are secured. In

this construction, the road map is inthe form l of a narrow strip. dispos d to travel longitudinallyof the frame 7. The extensions ofthe reels 65 have hand wheels 68 by which the reels 65 may be rotated fol` feeding the road map from one endof the frame to the other.

Itv will be noted that the map 11 consist of 'a web or tape of uniform width and that the route' is plotted or mapped on straight lines, thus providing for its being easily 4gaged with one to prevent movement in one direction when the other roller is engaged 2. A route indicating'apparatus for tourists including a housing, a route sheet, a pair of rollers in the housing and operatively supporting the routesheet for progressive movement,1 roller actuating means axially shifted and manually operated for communicating movement to either of the rollers, spring-held pawls operatively related with said rollers and operatively engaged with onetofprevent movement'm one direction whenV the other roller is engaged with the actuating means, an indicator enclosed by the housing and traversin@` the route sheet, a feedscrew supporting the indicator, and means automatically actuated foroperati'ng the feed screw, saidlast named means in cluding shiftable means for reversing the movement'of the feed screw. v

'3. A routeindicating apparatus fortour ists including a housing, a vroute sheet,a pair of rollers in the housing and operatively supporting. the route'sheet for progressive with the actuating means. 190

movement; an indicator`for traversing the f route sheet, a feedmember supporting the indicator Afor operatin the same, means automatically actuated or'operatlng theffe'ed member, said feedmember actuating means J including adevice for shifting certam' members of'said feed actuating means forv reversing the movement of the feed member,

roller actuating means axially'I shifted and manually operated for communicating move-v ment. to either of the rollers, and tens'iond elements operativelyl related with said rollers and operatively engaged with one roller to prevent `movement in one direction when the other roller is engaged with the actuatingmeans. u

4. A route indicating apparatus for tourists including a progressively .mov'ableroute sheet provided With data with reerence to landmarks, directions,`distances and the like,

an indicator, means for-supporting the routev sheet, a housing for the route sheet, its supporting means and the indicator, a rotating linearen sheet provided with data With reference to landmarks, directions, distances and the like,

an indicator, means for supporting the route -sheet,1a housingl for the route sheet, its supporting means and the indicator, a rotating element supporting the indicator and causing it to traverse the route sheet, a mechanism automatically actuated and includinga device concentric with the element and shiftable .for reversing' the movement of the element, said route sheet supporting y, means `comprising a pairof rollers with actuating means axially shifted and manually operated or communicating movement to, either of the rollers, and tensioned devices operatively related With said rollers and operatively engaged With one to prevent vmovement in one direction when the other roller is engaged With said actuating means.

in testimony Whereof'he aiiixes his signature.

i HERBERT J. sLovvnr. 

